Knowing the strangers name
by Haunted Quill
Summary: A challenge fic. Draco finds himself dieing in the muggle world. Only the mudblood he hates, Hermione, stands between him and his death.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! this one is another challenge fic. **

**Harry Potter or any of the chars from the books do not belong to me. you have been told. **

**read and review and enjoy. **

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**Knowing the strangers Name.**

Darkness, the smell was putrid, making the blonde headed want to vomit. Gagging he climbed the slime slicked walls. Why would Voldemort want such a foul creature in his army? It was beyond Draco. Reaching the top of the stone wall his grip failed him, he slipped, landing with a thud after falling for what felt like an eternity but ended all too soon. Pain rippled through his body growing fiercer with every beat of his racing heart. Struggling to his feet Draco limped his was back to the stone wall and began climbing once more, he couldn't fail again. He reached the top and hoisted himself up onto the ledge only to be met with 2 pairs of blood Red eyes.

"I am a Messenger from The dark Lord, Join us or be destroyed." Draco said his voice stronger and more confident than he felt. A cold, blood chilling laugh from the creature, which by legend should no longer exist, sent shivers down Draco's spine.

"you dare to challenge Me?" Hissed the head… or was it the tail? It really was hard to tell.

"You dare challenge the dark lord?" Draco answered his voice dark.

The creature growled and pounced, curses didn't work on the beast, they bounced off narrowly missing Draco. A slash under his rib cadge sent pain tearing through his body. This was one fight Draco wasn't going to win. Draco thought desperately and struggled to his feet, sending a spell that conjured sharp knifes to stick into the victim. He turned Vanishing with a pop.

As he Disapparated his only thoughts were 'some where safe' he reappeared in a sun lit alley way in a suburban area, a _muggle_ Suburban Area. Draco was loosing blood and was feeling weak, not that he would ever admit it. Now he was stuck with a new situation, weak from blood loss, too weak to disaparate again, in an unknown muggle area, in wizard robes bleeding heavily, the situation stunk like shit. Stumbling away from the light, _Ironic, _he thought_ that I always seem to turn my back to the light and look to the shadows. _Draco's fear started to rise as his body grew numb from blood loss. Then that's when he heard it.

"Alright mum, I'll be home for dinner" Said the familiar voice. Draco's mind was torn in two, he didn't want to die, but he didn't want to be found in such a state. He turned to see her appear her features hidden in shadow, the bright light behind her. She looked like an angel, an angel in a very real nightmare.

"Draco?" Hermione Gasped when she saw his deathly white face, the blood on his hands. She pointed her wand at him. "What happened….? Why are you here?"

"Mind your own business mudbood" He hissed but passed out hitting the floor with a slam.

Hermione stared in horror but she remembered Harry's words about Draco's reluctance to kill Dumbledore. She couldn't leave him there to die so she Put his arm around her shoulders and Disapparated with him.

After the swirling had stopped she smiled at the familiarity of the tree house. Yes, some where warm and safe and away from her family. She didn't trust Draco with her muggle families lives. She laid Draco on the bed; her parents never walked this far down, nearing a mile away from their home.

She looked down at Draco's wounds and sighed. She would need her cauldron and some spell books, she quickly apparated home and grabbed the required stuff, settling for her entire trunk. With in precious minutes she had arrived back and cleaned his wounds.

Then bandaged him up, he was cold, so dreadfully cold. She put a blanket over him and flicked through her books looking for a spell or a potion that replenished blood.

She found one, a potion; it was pretty standard so she set to work on it. With in minutes, she had woken him up and she was pouring the liquid down his throat, he swallowed half asleep, weak, hungry and thirsty. She looked at the potion book, one glass every 3 hours; do not take for a longer period than 24 hours, it made sense to Hermione that this was the time period, one potion replenishes one pint of blood, and a human had 8 pints, so more than that could cause trouble. She made another vile of the potion, ready for his next dose, noting down the time on a piece of paper.

She looked at the wound and dipped a cloth in murtlap water; shed started keeping some after the death eaters attack on Hogwarts and after Harry went after the horcrux's. She rubbed it gently over the wound and performed a few healing charms, they help, though only a little. The wound had stopped bleeding and closed a little. She re-bandaged Draco and he stirred. She grabbed her back pack, a bottle of water and a packed lunch was all she had.

She knew, with every potion she made for him, every spell she preformed, she was dicing with his death. One wrong move could end it all for the ex Hogwarts pupil, if she didn't try however, he would die for sure.

Draco tried to sit up; Hermione put a hand on his chest.

"Don't try and sit up…" Hermione said soothingly "You're still very weak."

"Gr…Granger?" Draco asked his eyes opening fully and fixing on Hermione's face.

"Yes, it's me, Malfoy don't sit up. I can't totally heal that wound, it'll take time and rest. So please lay still." Her voice was clipped but did he hear the edge of worry in her voice?

"Where am I?" Draco asked dazed and dizzy from blood loss.

"You're safe. That's all you need to know" she said causing Draco to laugh a little.

"Here you need to eat and drink," Hermione said.

"You just told me don't get up, do you want me to choke?" Draco said with a sarcastic smile but as much as he hated to (and would never) admit it, he needed her right now, she was the one thing standing between him and death. His vision wasn't as foggy not, he noted, and he wasn't feeling as weak as he had been, She must have done some thing, yes a potion with a metallic taste.

"Right I'm going to help you sit up" Hermione said.

"I can sit up myself" Draco snapped, He slowly tried to sit up and groaned in pain and fell back; Hermione caught him and helped him sit up propping him up with the pillows.

She put the sandwiches on his lap and he sniffed them and examined the insides.

Hermione rolled her eyes and broke a bit off and ate it.

"see not poisoned" she told him handing him the water. Then he saw the name on the lunch bag. "You're giving me your lunch?"

"No I'm going to let you drool over it and eat it myself" She said with a roll of her eyes "yes I'm giving you my lunch."  
Draco felt annoyance that he had to rely on the mudblood for survival, he would let her make him better then capture her, that would please his master to make up his failure, having one of Potters Friends to torture and use as bate.


	2. The Haunting Eyes of a stranger

_**Hi Back again with chapter 2 of this fic. I hope you enjoy.**_

**_Thanks for your reviews,_**

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Chapter Two: The Haunting Eyes of a stranger.

Hermione stayed with Draco until around 7 o'clock, when she left him to go home for dinner. Draco was still too weak to stand and on top of that he had developed a fever. Hot and sweaty, his checks slightly flushed, his eyes moving under closed lids as he slept.

Hermione at quickly and excused herself from the table. Hermione stayed home for a while, showering and changing her clothes (thankfully her parents hadn't noticed the blood they seemed distracted. An hour later she told her parents she had some homework to finish off and went to her room, then snuck down stairs and packed the left over food, some bottles of water, some random high sugar snacks, A camping cooker, a frying pan, a knife a fork and a spoon. She couldn't think of any thing else.

She returned to Draco. His condition had deteriorated, his fever had worsened. She put her hand on his head and pulled away and wiped her clammy hand in her jeans. She knelt beside him and put a damp cloth on his head to lower the fever. In his dreams he shied away from some nameless creature, Hermione smoothed his face to settle him and chase away those fears but exactly the opposite happened, Draco jumped gripping her wrist tightly.

"Ow Draco!" Hermione hissed trying to pull away from his powerful painful grip. "let go, your hurting me"  
Draco blinked and released her wrist.  
"it's rude to touch people when they are sleeping" Draco retorted dryly running a hand through his hair, he pulled the damp cloth off his head and stared with it a sly smile of amusement. "Granger What…?"  
"It'll bring your temperature down" She said snatching it off him and unceremoniously dropping it back on to his forehead with a wet slap. It half covered his eyes, sighing she picked it back up, dipped it back in the magically cold water and squeezed out the excess, folded the cloth and placed it back on his forehead.

"Is this really necessary?" Draco asked groggily, his eyes rolling into the back his head.

"Yes Malfoy. We need to get your temperature down, don't go to sleep Malfoy" Hermione ordered but Draco was still very weak, even though he tried to be strong. When Hermione got no response from Draco she spoke louder and with more authority.

"DRACO! WAKE UP!" Hermione nearly shouted, Draco's dull eye eyes opened slowly.

"You just called me Draco" He said, his voice dull and weak.

"Well that is your name Dra.. Malfoy" Hermione said. "Can't I just call you Draco?"

Draco shrugged, he just wanted to sleep.

"Draco. Stay awake" Hermione said firmly getting his glass of the blood regenerating potion. She sat him up, his body seemed unable to support his weight still, so she sat behind him.

_Interesting, I can feel her breasts against my back… they feel bigger than they look. _Those we're the semi conscious thoughts. He couldn't understand the sudden wave of dizziness. In a way it felt comforting to have her there, her warmth, he was vaguely aware she was saying something. Wordlessly he obeyed opening his mouth and swallowing down the sweet metallic drink. His however didn't make the weakness go away; it helped but didn't go away.

"I'm sorry Draco… I just don't know what more to do" Hermione whispered as his head flopped back onto her shoulder. "I brought you dinner…"

She said levitating her bag over to herself. She lay Draco back down and pulled out the camping cooker and lit it with her wand. She warmed the soup she had brought and went to Draco, Draco's hands were shaking so much the soup slopped every where, So With a mothers care Hermione took the spoon from him and fed him. She'd done this before, Draco noted dumbly, But not for Potter, Potter was too proud… then who for? He didn't know but really, what did he know about Hermione? Nothing really, just that she was muggle born, in Gryffindor, a know-it-all and a friend of Potter. Really all he knew was a name, she was a stranger. With out this stranger, he would be dead, alone in a dark alley, slowly rotting.

Hermione looked down at Draco as she lay him back down; his misty grey eyes met hers, those eyes. _Eye's_ _so grey, so misty, so cold, hiding the soul, the person inside. I know nothing about you Draco, in fact that's all I know, you are Draco. But right now it doesn't matter who you are, or your past, all that matters is you need my help. _

As Sparkling brown eyes and dull grey eyes meet, both people knew they would be haunted by the stranger's eyes. Draco would see her eyes, every time he closed his own once he betrayed her. Hermione would be haunted by those eyes should she fail the boy they belonged to. Haunted by a strangers eyes, a memory of a stranger, a stranger who may not exist for much longer, funny really, the only thing standing between themselves and their deaths (whether they knew it or not) Was their enemy, and the stranger with the haunting eyes.


	3. The touch of a stranger

**Pottah and his pals are not mine. I dont own them. all I own is my crappy plot. Please enjoy the fic and please review. **

Chapter Three: The touch of a stranger.

Hermione left Draco sleeping peacefully to return home, her parents were fighting again, a smash of a glass, a heavy thud. Hermione's hands clenched in tight fists, her Nails bit into her skin. She sat at her oak desk and flattened out a piece of parchment.

_Who ever Finds this._

_I couldn't take the sound of you fighting much longer, I've gone to stay with a friend, Please don't worry about me. _

_Hermione. _

She left the short note on her pillow just in case her mother or father should discover she was gone. She grabbed some things together and disappeared with a pop.

She arrived back at the tree house with tears in her eyes. She tilt her head back and blinked them away, She couldn't breakdown right now, Draco needed her. Filled with a sense of purpose, she sat on the side of the camp bed where Draco lay. She smoothed a hand over his face and set the alarm to go off when his next potion was due. She dabbed his head and ran the cold cloth over his neck. She knew tonight was going to be vital, the decider on whether Draco lived or died.

Dipping back the cloth back into the water she knew what she had to do. She had to get Draco's thick Death eater robes off. Levitating him into the air, she very awkwardly removed the folds of cloth, then his trousers hoping and preying he wasn't going commando. She pealed away his shirt and checked the bandages. Looking at the torn blood stained shirt and robes. She put them aside to clean them and mend them later but now there was a more pressing task- making the other 6 vials of potion.

When all was done, cauldron, instruments and ingredients cleaned and put away. Hermione sat beside Draco and cleaned his shirt and robes then fix them. Hermione looked down at Draco's sickly pale face and felt a clench in her gut, what if she couldn't save him? that failure casting another shadow in Hermione's mind? She felt sick at the thought. She knelt beside him smoothing his hair. She fell asleep like that, one hand holding his and the other smoothing his hair. Her body lent against the camper bed.

The shrill insistent bleeping of the alarm brought Draco slowly to consciousness; he felt something moving soothingly over his hair. Pansy used to smooth his hair but this was softer, more…._affectionate? Concerned? _It was beyond Draco what it was but it felt strangely good. Beside him Hermione stirred and awoke. She sat up the left side of her face red from leaning on the bed, her hair wild. She pushed herself up to her feet releasing Draco's hand. Draco watched her weakly through half closed eyes, the moonlight played in her hair giving her a brilliant angelic halo, that image would stay with him until he died, Her touch, the touch of a stranger would live in his memory long after her death, he expected. As much as he hated Hermione Granger he found he didn't want to kill her, right now she was risking every thing to save him. She looked at him and offered a small smile and walked over to him, his next dose of potion in her hand. With out asking him she helped him sit up and helped him take his potion. That's when Draco noticed his lack of clothing.

"Merlin Granger you stripped me" He said, his voice would had been animated and shocked if he'd had the energy. Hermione chuckled seeing the funny side and from exhaustion.

"I left your underwear on… though I was wondering if you were going commando those trousers were tight" She half heatedly and exhaustedly teased any thing to lighten the morbid mood. "Your temperature was through the roof. I had to cool you down"

He gave a week nod; she dimly felt it against her neck. She put the Damp cloth back on his forehead and put the vile on the floor. Draco's eyes flicked and he fell asleep on Hermione's shoulder but stirred and his head landed heavily in her lap. She was too tired to wake him and to exhausted to move him, so she stay still.

In Draco's dream the beast prepared to slash at his defenseless body. He wriggled and wreathed then his eyes snapped open. A dream… it was only a dream. Hermione, still sleeping softly, must have sensed his distress and started smoothing his hair soothing him back too sleep, Silently he thanked the mudblood, his savior, for he had no doubt in his mind she would save him. Though just a stranger, a stranger with a soothing touch, her touch made every ting ok and let him relax, she made every thing seem so far away the only thing that mattered was here and now.

They did that every three hours until dawn and even then they slept longer than either of them would have on a normal day. Hermione made him breakfast, he was still very weak and still in pain. So she made her excuses and returned home. She found her note, untouched, she had been gone all night and no one had noticed. She showered and changed, then slipped down stairs, it was 11:30 am and her mum was still sprawled on the couch an empty whisky bottle clutched in her hand, remnants of what was once a beautiful crystal vase shattered into gleaming sharps, sparkling in the morning light. She repaired it and cleaned up the mess. She took the empty whiskey bottle from her mum and disposed of it. Tears ran steadily down her cheeks but she ignored them putting a blanket on her mother and tucking her in.

She knew her mother would soon wake, she needed to work quickly raiding the cupboard she found strong muggle pain killers and stuffed them in her pocket, she grabbed her lunch that her mother had probably made after the fight and wrote a note.

_Mum,_

_Visiting a Friend. May not be back tonight._

_With Love  
Hermione_

Hermione heard her mother get up and quickly Disapparated, not wanting her mother to see her tear stained cheeks, fearing that upon seeing her mother she would break down into hysterics. She took one look at Draco, propped up and looking at the cold sausage on the fork with distaste and the inevitable happened, Hermione Granger fell to her knee's and cried. Draco didn't know what to do so carefully he reached out and touched his shoulder. Her eyes were squeezed shut but she wrapped her arms around his neck and he smoothed her back, calming her.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked surprised at this sudden out burst and on his part genuinely curious. So Hermione sobbed on between the sobs and the gasps for breath she told him everything. How worried she was that Draco wouldn't survive, how she worried about her family's safety, how she worried that her parents would split, how she worried about Harry and Ron and those she loved.

After all Draco could understand some of that. He was in this situation because his family's safety was threatened. Draco didn't tell Hermione it would be ok, because with the future so uncertain, he didn't know it would be, so he just held her, her tears making the soft, pale skin of his shoulder wet. Her touch was still soft and unique. The heat of her breath brushing like a ghost across his skin disturbed Draco because it actually felt good. He smoothed her hair, he'd always imagined it being rough, being frizzy and all, but Hermione had changed since he'd seen her last, her hair was sleek and pretty and was as soft as the finest silk threads. The more contact they had with each other, the less they realized they knew. Draco remembered her soothing caress and Hermione could feel his comforting warmth shielding her from the coldness of the world. She had never told Harry and Ron that her parents fought but telling Draco had come naturally; she didn't know why and didn't want to either.

They stay there hugging each other letting the touch of a stranger become familiar. After all that's what life is about, the new replacing the old, the strange becoming familiar.


	4. The Stanger's Tears

**_Hi heres the next chapter and plenty more to come... hopefully. I'm actually off on hols now so I'll be taking KTSN with me and completing the next chapter in the car. _**

**_As always please review. _**

**_No I didnt get lucky Harry Potter and Draco and the rest of the chars do not belong to me. _**

**_Thank you to all those who reviewed. _**

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Chapter four: The strangers tears. 

Hermione had fallen asleep curled up against Draco, weakened by her emotional out burst. Draco knew when you bottle up your feelings and they break out and with it taking your every last slither of energy, Draco knew this because he'd been there. In the back of his mind he wondered what could have upset Hermione in such away but exhaustion was quickly over coming him, carefully he adjusted his pillows. He tried hard not to wake the sleeping girl as he carefully lay down and her arms tightened around his neck. He thought back to when he and Pansy had lay together, the way Pansy would curl up her knee's digging in Draco's side. Hermione was softer. Her leg came up and draped across his legs, her breath tickled his neck, her hair like silk caressing his jaw line with her every breath.

Draco fell asleep feeling safe and warm, thinking how nice it felt. Suddenly it didn't matter that she was a mudblood he was fully confident she would pull him through this plight. Hermione was the first to wake up. She slipped out of the bed awkwardly and with in moments the alarm went off. She put her hand gently on Draco's shoulder.

"Pan….ssssss 'm not in the mood for sex right now…" his eyes opened when Hermione snorted with laughter. Their eyes met and Draco blushed, Hermione wasn't even Sure Draco could blush given the fact he'd lost a lot of blood and he was Draco Malfoy. Hermione took the blush for a good sign. A few awkward moments passed, she handed Draco the vile of Potion. Hew drank it gratefully and she handed him the painkillers.

"What are they" Draco said looking at the muggle Pain killers as if they were a foreign object.

"Muggle Pain killers" Hermione said "I don't have the any more of right ingredients for a pain killing potion I gave it to you last night…"

"do they work?" Draco said wrinkling his nose.

"Of course they work don't be stupid and just take them." Hermione said with a scowl that would have beat one of Snapes. Draco Obeyed.

"I'm going to have to go to Diagon Ally… and you need a bath or shower or some thing" She said wrinkling her nose. " and you'll be needing clothes."

Draco lay back down and Hermione's hands on his stomach caused all the muscles to tense, another wave of pain more intense than ones he'd been experiencing. Exhaustion had numbed the pain but now he wasn't so exhausted he was beginning to become more aware.

"fuck that hurts" He cried out as Hermione sat him up to unwrap the bandages. Draco was starting to squirm in Pain, if he didn't stop moving he was going to split the wounds more. She lay him down. The bleeding had stopped thanks to the spells she had used the night before but the wound was still gaping. The pain increased suddenly and Draco cried out again Tears forming in his eyes he was moving again, making things worse. He Cried out Hermione's name. She blinked and pinned him down by the shoulders and kissed him pointing her wand at his wounds concentrating on the spells. Draco dazedly kissed back, Pushing his lips against hers trying to get lost in the kiss, Surprisingly it was working, the wound was becoming numb once more and he pulled Hermione Closer kissing her harder wishing away the last of the pain. Then they finally pulled away, Hermione Sat him up and wrapped his wounds in fresh bandages. He looked down at her. She'd kissed him and he liked it... She reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Rest… I'll be back as soon as I can." She smiled and Disapparated.

Draco was left to think over that kiss and the rest of the morning's antics. Her tears had affected him… why? He didn't know. If it was just Pansy he would have pushed her away or feigned concern but Draco felt obligated to help Hermione smile once more.

_She's doing every thing in her power to save my life… that's why I feel the need to make her smile, make her happy, No Malfoy would stand being in debt to any one never mind a Mudblood. So he had to repay the favor. _

Hermione walked quickly down Diagon ally, her head down, preying no one would notice her. She couldn't understand why she had kissed Draco.

_I just had to stop his pain and stop his tears; I wasn't thinking…I just kissed the enemy! I was just panicking. _

She rationalized it all away, she was good that. She apparated back to Draco; they both acted normal. She offered him a small shaky smile; He just gave her a cool look. She knelt to start making a potion. Draco watched her work, the way her hair would fall in front of her eyes and she'd push it back irritably. She looked up and caught him watching. She gave a small smile and his stomach did a little flip.

Both of them had allowed themselves to be effected by the stranger's tears, the strangers pain bringing them closer together. Some where in the depths of their hearts a part of them already vowed to do what ever it costs to keep tears from the strangers beautiful eyes.


	5. death of a stranger

**_Sorry it took so long to update. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please review. _**

**Chapter 5 : Death of the stranger.**

Draco's deterioration had come suddenly, He had gone pale… well more pale than usual and he was sweating and falling in and out of consciousness. Hermione didn't know what to do; she knelt beside him and whispered calming words. Only when he finally lay still, his breathing even and she thought Draco was unconscious, did Hermione allow herself to cry.

"Please don't die Draco… please" She sobbed. Her head was on his chest, there was a small sound, a weak chuckle, Draco's chest moving with the sudden sound.

"I'm not going any where just yet Granger." He grunted, she looked up at him her cheeks stained by tears. He blinked, he hadn't been expecting her to look so… distraught at the thought of his death… if the situation had been the other way around he would have left her to die. He reached up and smoothed the tears away, surprising himself and Hermione. "Hey Granger… if I didn't know better I'd say you were crying over me…. Will you stop it? You're getting me wet"

He didn't like the way her tears affected him.

"Shove it Malfoy" she retorted but there was no real malice to those words, they just filed the silence as she turned away to dry her tears. Draco felt the need for some conversation; the silence was making him uncomfortable.

"so Granger, What do you intend to do to me?" He asked coolly. She sat beside him once more.

"I… don't know… I hadn't got that far…" She admitted reluctantly. They fell back into that awkward silence. The silence was maddening, both Hermione and Draco couldn't bare it. Both of them searched their minds for some thing to say… any thing to say. Hermione didn't dare ask him any thing about the dark side, she didn't want them to end up fighting. Draco didn't know what to say, what exactly does one say to the enemy when they just saved his life? Hermione fidgeted in her bag and found a box, she smiled. Ginny had brought her these for her birthday, truth or dare dice.

She picked them up and looked at them, you rolled the dice and the one would say whether it was a truth or a dare, the other would say what the truth or the dare was (depending on what the first dice said, the second die would only have truths on there if the first die came out as truths and if it came our dare the second die would only have dares on. The only difference was there were spells on the dice to prevent one from lying.

"What are those?" Draco asked looking mildly interested.

"Truth or dare dice… a birthday present I never got to use…" Hermione said. Draco tried to look mildly interested.

"How do they work?" He asked unwilling to let the uncomfortable silence rekindle to echo in his mind.

"You just roll them" she said she demonstrated and rolled them into the box. She showed Draco the dice; it said Truth and the second said 'who's the hottest guy in the room' Hermione blurted out the answer before she could stop herself. "Malfoy's the hottest guy in the room"

Draco snorted "Granger it would never work."

"Draco I had to give an answer and you're the _only _guy in the room" She said rolling her eyes. For some unknown reason she offered him the box and he took the dice. That's how it began, before they realized it they were acting like friends. It was Hermione's roll. A truth; Name five of the hottest guys in school and the order you liked them in.

Hermione giggled and put her hand in her bag and pulled out some fire whiskey, she'd brought it for Draco but found now she needed it. She offered him some and he'd accepted gladly. "The hottest guy in school…. First was Blaise Zambini" she said pouring a large amount of the amber liquid into each glass and handing it to Draco. "Ron, You, Seamus and Justin"  
Draco Spluttered indignantly "You put a Weasly before me?" He said blinking in horror.

"Why Malfoy I didn't know you cared about my opinion that much" She teased gently. Malfoy chose to ignore this and rolled the dice. Truth again. Tell your opponent all their best features, mentally and physically and exactly what you think of them. Draco grinned about to smash her with a few idle insults but found he was unable to. Then he remembered, the dice were charmed so he couldn't lie… damn it.

"Mentally, You're smart and clear headed from what I see, I don't really know you that well, You're loyal and trusting" He grimaced "Physically… you have great boobs and nice eyes"

He had to bite his tongue to stop from saying any more disturbed by the fact that he'd said so much and still had more to say. He was a Malfoy and Malfoy's did not compliment people. Hermione smirked and rolled the dice.

"Oh Malfoy." Hermione teased softly batting her eye lashes and refilling his whiskey. The alcohol would dim the pain she knew. She looked at the dice, dare: strip down to your underwear. She looked at Malfoy and he looked right back and raised his eye brows but then he went pale and cried out again, the dice hit to the floor and becoming forgotten. Hermione held his hand and tried to keep him still she put a silencing spell on him so his screams could not be heard. She smoothed his hair telling him he'd be ok, he soon stilled his eyes closed his face pale, She curled up beside him and whispered secrets to him, secrets that went unheard. Tears engulfed her as she sobbed over his limp body, her heart aching. In her head she could see his smile, the little jokes and gentle teasing, Thats when she realized the stranger had slowly died.


	6. Buding Friendship?

**Hi guys thanks for your kind reviews and so sorry for the long wait. Here's the chapter I promise the next one will be much longer. **

**I do not own Harry Potter or any thing associated with it.**

**Chapter six : Budding friendship?**

Exhaustion had taken Hermione's body, it felt numb, her mind seemed to me pushing its way through a thick fog, she was exhausted, body, mind and soul. It wasn't even dawn yet and but some thing had woken her but not for long, her head hit the pillow and she cuddled into the person beside her with out thinking or caring who it was and fell back to sleep exhaustion finally too much.

Draco awoke last night's pain but a shadow on his memory. He felt safe, warm and comfortable apart from some thing was tickling his chin and irritating him. He lifted his arm to brush what ever it was away and left some thing soft warm and fuzzy... A cat was his first thoughts remembering Crookshanks but no he sat up just a little so see Hermione curled against him. Exhaustion had caused her face to pale and there were dark rings around her eyes, mascara lined her cheek like the blood of tears. He wiped them away before they ruined his already ruined shirt more. He looked at the handkerchief and saw not only mascara was there but make up too, Hermione was a lot paler and the rings around her eyes a lot darker than he'd seen, how could he have missed this? He felt a stab of annoyance that only Hermione could provoke but her let her sleep. He summoned a book to him and looked through it and found some thing that would heal him, he hadn't told Hermione about what had attacked him and he figured that's was why he was still in pain. He found the incantation and whispered it. He felt the curse lift and he knew every thing would be ok, he pulled Hermione closer as a cold breeze flew through the tree house and went back to sleep.

Hermione had slept until nearly 8 o'clock at night, Draco was sleeping peacefully beside her. She chided herself for sleeping so long instead of tending to Draco's wounds and keeping him alive. She looked at Draco, studying him for the first time since she had awoken, there was color in his cheeks, and she took that as a good sign. He was smiling in his sleep he looked so sweet and innocent… and handsome.

_I do not think Draco's handsome... I don't… not at all… not a little… only a bit…. Fuck… don't deny it… he's hot. Harry and Ron are going to kill me._

She smoothed Draco's hair from his eyes as she had done so many times for Harry before levitating him to remove his bandages, she was shocked to see how much they'd improved since she'd last checked but there was still a fair wait until he was healed her guess was a week the earliest. She remembered her sorrow when she thought he'd died and knowing he'd soon leave her to go back to the death eaters and the dark lord who'd almost cost him his life and had cost countless others there's. She felt anger and bile rise in an angry tide in her stomach but she pushed it down, she couldn't afford to loose control. She tiredly massaged the aching muscle at the back of her neck and yawned she was just so tired. She bandaged him up again and started cooking them a meal. When Draco awoke it was to the smell of food, it mad this mouth water and his stomach grumble so loudly that Hermione looked up.

"You're awake!" she said her voice full of surprise.

"You cant get rid of me that easily" Draco whispered hoarsely. He threw herself on top of him and hugged him tightly forgetting for those brief seconds who he was, her warm brown eyes med his beautiful grey ones and their lips met a soft sweet kiss at first but it intensified as Hermione's fear, relief and missed emotions found a vent through that kiss.

Draco pulled away and smirked.

"Hermione I believe you have me mistaken for a friend" he said with a hint of seriousness in his joking tone. She paused and took a deep breath.

"That's because we are friends…" she said and Draco didn't argue he simply cocked an eye brow but then nodded reluctantly.

The budding friendship between the two had become recognized the eyes of the other person no long a stranger but of a friend and room for some thing more.


	7. Interruptions

**((Sorry here is the edited version I noticed a bit missing so I edited and reposted. Sorry for being so slow, next chap should be up soon))**

**Chapter 7: Interruptions **

A week passed and Draco sped towards recovering neither of them spoke about what was to happen when Draco was finally fit enough to go back to the death eaters, Draco trying to forget the punishment that would probably await him when he did. Another topic that went un-discussed was the 'something more' between them tugging at them and was driving Draco mad with frustration; he wasn't used to not being able to have some thing he wanted when it was right in front of him. It was his self control and pride that was forcing him to keep his hands and lips and …other parts to himself. Draco would be glad to get on his feet once more… no more peeing in a bottle. Now with an arm around his waist she helped him to his feet, he was a bit wobbly and weak but he was standing once more, the sense of achievement ran though him and made him want to grin like an idiot but he content himself with a small smirk. He soon was walking on his own but with a little difficulty. Suddenly Harry and Ron appeared with a pop. Hermione pulled out her wand and then lowered it glanced at Draco, who was stood behind the boys.

"Hermione, Death eaters are headed this way" Harry said. "Malfoy junior has gone missing and they some how got to the conclusion you've kidnapped him"

"I wouldn't have said kidnapped" She said nervously.

"Let me guess Goyal Junior gave you this information?" a cold voice drawled. Harry and Ron spun to face Draco half naked, his chest covered only by the bandages.

"Malfoy!" Harry shouted having his wand in attempt to curse him but Hermione got in the way blocking his curse.

"Harry! Don't!" Hermione said "he wounded!"

"I don't care Hermione now Move and how the hell do you know Goyal gave us this information?" Harry Snapped, Ron at his side was red in the face, shaking with anger.

"He's been feeding you information for months! And now you've apparated here they've probably tracked you and you've lead them right to me and Hermione!" Draco snapped then turned to Hermione "it's not safe to stay here"

As if slowly putting the pieces together, Harry's eyes narrowed in concentration, Ron just scoffed disbelievingly but Hermione quickly packed things away and Draco pulled on his shirt carefully.

"Here… this is where the magic is strongest" some one said quietly outside but Ron heard it.

"Shit there here" He whispered. Hermione grabbed her bag, Draco had no wand, Hermione had hidden it, so he was defenseless, he couldn't even move very fast. The death eaters burst in shooting stunning spells, Hermione, Ron and Harry sent back their own curses, Bella smiled cruelly at Hermione and screamed Crucio; Draco's hand shot out and pulled her out of the way. There was a gasp of surprise from Harry and a shriek of hatred from Bella, Suddenly his wand was thrust into his hand by Hermione and the four battled the five, Draco using unforgivables left and right. The death eaters retreated and Hermione, Ron, Harry and Draco looked at each other.

"They'll have gone back for reinforcements we need to get out of here now!" Draco snapped. Harry nodded, grabbed Ron and Hermione by the arm, Hermione put her arm around Draco and they apparated together. Harry cast a spell to disguise their trail and Hermione helped Draco to sit down on a rock. They were in the middle on the sea, waves lashed the rock where they had landed, behind Harry there was a little shack.

"Come on lets get inside!" Harry shouted over the waves and with Hermione's help Draco made it in doors.

"Harry? where the hell are we?" Hermione Said closing the door with help of Ron.

"Safe for now… I don't think any one would even think of looking for us here" Harry said.

"Why would they?" drawled examining the filthy shack with disgust. Ron rounded on Hermione his face once again flushing with fury. Harry had just gone outside to check the shack and to inspect the grounds.

"What the hell are you playing at?" he snapped.

"What?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"You should have came and got us the moment you caught him!" Ron shouted .

"I didn't capture him, I saved him; he was nearly dead when I found him!" Hermione retorted "I can look after myself thank you very much!"

"WHAT!" Ron roared his furry reaching a higher Level, Hermione felt a sharp prang of fear and Draco gently pulled Hermione away from him. "You saved a death eater from dieing? Are you crazy?"

"No! I couldn't just leave him there, He's done some shitty things in his past but Harry told us about Dumbledor's death and how Draco seemed reluctant! I couldn't leave him there to die like an animal knowing there may be a chance that there's a decent guy there!" She shouted back and Ron advanced on her grabbing her by the arms.

"A decent guy? He spent 5 years calling you Mudblood!" Ron roared his grip on Hermione Painfully tight; he shook her as if to shake some sense into her, Harry walking into the shack.

"Ron you're hurting me!" Hermione whimpered.

"Let her go" Draco spat his wand pointed right at Ron's throat.

"WHAT?" Snapped Ron

"You're hurting her now letter go" Draco hissed. "I'll give you to the count of three…. One …. Two… Three…"

Hermione was thrown onto the dusty sofa and there were two flashes of light as the boys cast their spells, a Purple streak from Ron heading straight for Draco and an Orange colored light from Draco heading straight from Ron. Hermione was screaming for them to stop.


	8. BitterSweet

**I'm soo sooo sorry for the long wait and the short chapter, Hope you like please R &R and I hope to up date soon. **

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**Chapter 8 : Bitter-Sweet. **

Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at Draco sending a spell to cushion the blow against the wall of the shack. Harry pulled out his wand and did the same for Ron also using the counter curse. Hermione gently laid Draco on the ground and scrambled over to him and started muttering the counter curse. When the spell had lifted he opened his beautiful grey eyes to meet worried brown ones.

"Are you ok?" he asked and smoothed a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Yes, are you? What were you thinking of fighting in your condition? You could have got seriously hurt! He could have killed you!" she scolded her eyes threatening tears.

"I wasn't about to let him treat you like that because of me" Draco said in a cool voice. "He was hurting you, besides I'm fine"

Hermione looked at him she didn't know what to say but she was saved by him once more as their lips lightly brushed in a soft chaste kiss.

"Thank you" she whispered before standing up and helping him up. "You need to lay down and get some rest" she said her voice a little louder and stronger.

"There's a room just up the stairs, a bed if I remember right" Harry said and Hermione nodded to him in thanks and led Draco up them. She helped him onto the bed and heard Harry talking to Ron.

"I hate to say it Ron, but Draco was right, you had no right to treat her like that. Hermione is smart, smarter than you and I will ever be, she has her reasons and will let us know soon enough, she's never kept us in the dark for long and the facts still remains as much as I hate to admit it, we could have been killed back there, with out his warning we would have been ambushed and much more out numbered than we were. If it wasn't for him Hermione would have been hit with a Crucio from That… bitch who'd would have probably killed her straight after" he said, Hermione could here the reluctance to admit it in his voice, she didn't quite catch Ron's muttered reply but Harry's sigh told her she didn't want to either, her eyes glimmering with tears once more. She knew she was risking her friendship with Ron and possibly Harry too, to hold on to Draco but she didn't think she could let him go, big, hot and salty tears ran down her cheeks and Draco kissed them away then kissed Hermione, the bitter taste of tears mixing with Hermione's sweet natural taste. He pulled her closer as he kissed her and some one behind Hermione cleared his throat. Draco did not want to let go but he did when Hermione pulled away slightly. Draco looked over to Harry; hatred marred his features, childhood hatred never forgotten. He was doing this for Hermione. Hermione turned to face Harry and wiped away the remainders of her tears.

"I'll be down in a minute Harry" she said, she sounded a lot stronger than she felt. Harry nodded and walked down the creaking staircase. She turned back to Draco and stood, he watched her with steady grey eyes.

The bitter joke fate had played, for he'd been so horrid to her, now they fall in love, while their on opposite sides of a war, childhood enemies and friendships between them, yet the sweetness of it for now at least they were together, they had each other and they would fight to stay that way until fate, undoubtedly tore them apart.

As he watched her leave he knew that he should walk away now, to prevent himself being hurt but his loyalty came as a shock to him, he couldn't leave her.

As she walked down the stairs she knew he had to run, if Ron had his way, Draco would be dead. Harry would put him in Azkaban and she would loose him. With her heart heavy and her head held high she prepared to fight to keep him safe for the second time.


End file.
